PART – #04 of “Dispensation Under Attack”
Jesus Christ was and still is dispensational through and through.
‘Dispensational’ both looks and sounds like a BIG confusing theological word, that makes us want to run away.
And the first thought that probably comes into our minds when we come across the word, ‘dispensational’ is:
“What in heaven’s name is this guy talking about?”
Like we mentioned in Part #01 of this series:
‘Dispensation’ is a word that most are tempted to refrain from using, when it comes to the Truth of God’s Word.
The reason is simply because too many people have heard nothing but bad things about the word.
And what is ironic is, even though they’ve heard bad things about being ‘dispensational’, they have “no idea why”.
‘Dispensational’ is indeed a BIG word, but only in terms of it’s lettering size, which is fourteen.
And one doesn’t need a five-year theological degree or doctorate in Divinity to understand what it means to be ‘dispensational’.
It is really quite simple and without confusion.
Remember, it is Satan who is the author of all confusion which exists rampantly within Christendom.
And he’s done a pretty good job of that so far.
It’s almost like eye for eye and tooth for tooth attitudes with all the thousands of interdenominational differences.
We believe in a country like America, there are over a thousand denominations, it’s the same in other nations too.
And there is very little they can agree on, as each have their own traditional doctrines, interpretations and religious practices.
Yet, the Bible, the inerrant Word of God is ‘one’, which is the irony of it all.
A New Dispensation
God has revealed a new dispensation both ‘for’ and ‘to’ us for this Age of Grace in which we live.
A new set of instructions and doctrines that have been revealed from His position of Ascension in heaven.
Sure, there are some things that are common to all dispensations.
But the mysteries or secrets, that was meant for this Age of Grace, was never revealed before the cross.
So what we have now is a new, latest and last ‘dispensational revelation’.
Yes, it’s 2000+ years old in our understanding, but it’s new and the latest in God’s scheme of things.
Because there has been ‘a change’ in God’s operations in dealing with the human race.
That is what the Book of Acts is primarily all about and is transitional in nature.
It’s a forty-year transitional period from coming out from ‘under the Law’ to ‘under Grace’.
It was a gradual dispensational change.
It is the cross that brought about this change, for the cross was the fulfilment of all that went before.
And these new revelations do not contain even the slightest trace of religiosity or legalism, unlike the Mosaic Law.
Nailed To The Cross
Religiosity, with all its legal demands and practices were taken out of the way and nailed to the cross.
They are out of the picture and no longer find a place in the equation in God’s scheme of things.
The reason? They were ‘against us’, and ‘contrary to us’.
Scripture clearly shows us that in [Colossians 2:14], which contain the higher dispensational doctrines of Grace.
And again, the reason is the Calvary Cross, outside the city gates of Jerusalem.
Jesus Christ, in His three-year earthly ministry, could not tell us that nor teach it.
HE certainly knew about it, as it was all part of God’s ‘determinate counsel’ which [Acts 2:23] speaks about.
But HE had not yet gone to the cross.
And secondly, even He was ‘under the Mosaic Law’, He was born under that Law [Galatians 4:4].
If we understand Scripture correctly, He was the ‘Giver of the Law’ to Moses, it was His Law!
And HE was a thorough Law-keeping Jew, and He could not and would not bypass it.
A Metamorphic Change
Jesus Christ, the very “Epitome of the Law”, had to go through a metamorphic change.
He did this by going through the extreme refining heat and fire and pressure of the cross.
Then having gone through the indescribable fire of the cross, He came through on the other side, unscathed by death.
HE came out on the other side as the “Epitome of Grace” [CRUMB 0066].
And having come through, He validated full payment of every sin debt demanded by heaven of all men.
HE could now be the only rightful ‘Judicial Giver of Grace’ and extend it to all men without reservation.
Hence we now have the saving Gospel of Grace for men, revealed through Paul, the apostle of this Grace message:
“That Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again” which we find in [1 Corinthians 15:1-4].
We now don’t get to pay that eternal price in hell, and the lake of fire which we all truly deserve.
God has created the ‘ONLY’ escape route for every single person without exception, if we choose to take it.
Because Grace kicked in through the cross, all our sin debt being paid in full.
Only One Requirement
So when it comes to our eternal destination in heaven, there is only one requirement.
We are only called to ‘heart believe’ by faith, that “yes, the cross did it all for me.
Jesus Christ did indeed literally die for ‘all’ my sins, past present and future.
He was buried, but death could not hold Him for more than three days.
HE gloriously rose again for my justification, which is my judicial acquittal, just as if I’ve ‘never’ sinned” [Romans 4:25].
It’s personal for each one of us.
And when we truly heart-believe that, we are all ‘baptized’ (placed/immersed) into the Body of Christ [1 Corinthians 12:13].
There is no water involved here.
It’s the ‘only valid Baptism’ when it comes to our eternal salvation [Ephesians 4:4-5].
(Please refer to the 5-part series explaining this whole issue of Baptism beginning with CRUMB – 0106).
For it’s a ‘Sovereign Act of the Holy Spirit’, which cannot be reversed or undone by anyone or anything.
And this Body is the only valid Church as far as heaven is concerned.
There is no other.
The apostle Paul constantly refers to ‘The Body’ which is Christ’s Church, or ‘the Church’ which is Christ’s Body.
We find that kind of language, for example, in [Ephesians 1:22-23] and [Colossians 1:18].
Christ Jesus Speaks Through Paul
Now from His Ascended position in Heaven, Christ Jesus, in so many words, tells us through His chosen apostle Paul:
“The Law was against you, and contrary to you, but not anymore.
For you are no longer ‘under the Law’ but under ‘My Grace’.”
And that is a Grace Age doctrinal and dispensational statement.
God was now going to save men under a whole new different scheme and a brand new programme.
It was now going to be ‘without Israel’ and ‘without the Law’, which was all part of his Sovereign plan which was kept hidden, until revealed to Paul, 7-8 years ‘after’ the cross.
Scripture makes this crystal clear in [Romans 16:25], [Ephesians 3:4-5], [Ephesians 3:9] and [Colossians 1:25-26].
It was all going to be totally ‘under Grace’, a brand new dispensation.
This was a dispensational change, God was now going to deal with men differently, under the umbrella of His Grace.
No longer ‘under the Law’, and the cross was the only way to bring in that ‘dispensational change’.
The Cross, A Dispensational ‘Act Of God’
The cross was a judicial and dispensational ‘Act of God’, for things were going to change.
Jesus Christ was and is the ‘Only One’ qualified to be the Saviour of the entire human race.
To get a more comprehensive understanding of ‘why?’, do read [CRUMB 0047].
And the instructions we now get from the same Lord Jesus Christ, is from His positional place of Ascension in Heaven.
They are our new ‘dispensational instructions’ revealed only through the apostle Paul.
Hence the letters of Paul are ‘indispensable’ for our personal salvation and everything else that accompanies it.
And unfortunately, most of Christendom ignores Paul and refuse to give him his rightful place of apostleship.
And this keeps so many proclaiming and professing Christians still in a lost place.
God will not compromise one iota, what He accomplished on the cross and the Grace message that comes from it.
It cost Him ‘everything’!
God Did So Love The World
Yes, God did so love the world, according to [John 3:16] “that HE gave His only begotten Son……”
That “that whosoever (that is anybody and everybody without exception) believeth in Him…….”
But for what?
That is the question! And it’s not confusing at all.
And this what we need to clearly understand.
For Israel, who were ‘under the Law’, they were called to believe that Christ Jesus was indeed the ‘Son of God’.
That He was ‘The Christ’, the promised Messiah, the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of.
“…….Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [Matthew 16:16-17].
Martha, in [John 11:27], made the same confession of faith.
“….Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”
Then we the have the eunuch in [Acts 8:37], which is seven years ‘AFTER’ the cross, where God is still dealing with Israel ‘under the Law’.
“…..I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
And that had to go along with the works of water-baptism unto repentance and remission of sins.
All this began with John the Baptist, shortly before Jesus Christ started His ministry to Israel.
It was all part and parcel of Israel’s ceremonial washings, and the Jews knew so.
It was all part of the ‘preparation of their way’ for them to receive their Messiah and Lord, for their “time of visitation” had arrived.
Nobody objected to it, nobody questioned John the Baptist, “what is this new and strange you are doing?”
That was also Peter’s message to Israel in [Acts 2:38], shortly after the Ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven.
“……Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,……”
Somewhere along the way Christendom coveted that which belonged to Israel ‘under the Law’, and made it a tradtional church doctrine.
This is not a case of coming against water-baptism, it’s a wonderful thing.
What is important is that we understand these things.
However, that is as far as what God had revealed to them till that point, and that is what God expected them to believe, nothing more and nothing less.
JESUS CHRIST was literally the “Walking Revelation” for them during those 3 three years.
So those were the grounds for their personal salvation.
For you and I in this Age of Grace, that came through the cross, what are ‘we’ to believe?
Yes, we also believe that Christ Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
‘But it does not end there for us today’.
We are to believe that Jesus Christ, the ‘Son of God, died for our sins, was buried and rose again’.
For that is what God has now ‘further revealed’, and that is what HE expects us to believe for our personal salvation, nothing more and nothing less.
There is now this ‘dispensational difference’.
It’s specific!
One was in the past, ‘under the Law’, while the other is present, ‘under Grace’.
And it’s only with that right dispensational believing, that will fulfil the last part of [John 3:16] for us today.
“……that whosoever believeth in him (according to Paul’s Gospel of Grace) should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
That is what heaven is freely and unconditionally offering today as a free gift.
God’s Judgment
What does [Romans 2:16] say with regard to God’s judgment?
“ In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my (Paul’s) gospel.”
And that is a place none of us want to find ourselves in.
Now why would I want to wait till I get to the great white throne judgment to find that out?
Why would I, when I know about it right here and now, and I can do something about it?
We can so easily lay hold of God’s free gift of Grace, which is there for the taking.
It’s what we do with ‘this gospel’ [1 Corinthians 15:1-4] here and now, that will determine our eternal destination.
We are all responsible for our own eternal destination, no one ever can blame God .
HE’S done EVERYTHING for us leaving no stone unturned.
Now it’s up to us.
Some Closing Thoughts
Here are some closing thoughts to ponder on as we close this article.
The Bible is both a progressive and dispensational revelation of God’s Word.
God has never expected man to believe what HE has NOT revealed.
But once revealed, they are for us and our children [Deuteronomy 29:29].
God has dealt with men on different grounds according to different dispensations and time periods.
Today, we are in a ‘dispensation of Grace’, which is a ‘Biblical phrase’ [Ephesians 3:1-2].
It is unlike any other that went before.
Our approach, attitude and study of the Scriptures should be dispensational, learning to ‘rightly divide’ the Scriptures [2 Timothy 2:15].
It other words, it simply means to discern what was ‘under the law’ from what is ‘under Grace’.
And they do not mix!
Remember, it is God Who was careful in separating the two and so must we.
We must learn to leave things where God has put them in Scripture and understand them accordingly.
And always remember that is it Paul who is the designated ‘apostle of the Gentiles’ [Romans 11:13].
He is the one we must give heed to, for Christ today predominantly speaks to us through him.
And there is nothing missing, it’s ‘God’s dispensation’ and it’s totally complete.
“Whereof I am made a minister according to the ‘dispensation of God’ ……”, writes the apostle Paul in [Colossians 1:25].
“…….which is given to me for you, to fulfil (complete) the Word of God;
CLICK [HERE] FOR PART #05 of “Dispensation Under Attack”
(Please note, all that is written in the ORANGE COLOUR, are connecting links, so do refer to them. You will find them very useful.)
